Evaluating the Language and Transformation through Communication, Liberating Voices

Evaluating the Language and Transformation through Communication

" Ultimately the pattern language must be evaluated in terms of what it is trying to accomplish. Hence, we are unable to perform this evaluation until we have acquired substantial feedback on the pattern language as it is used in practice. (There is question of whether it can ever be demonstrated that any specific piece of information played a measurably meaningful role in meeting any long-term social change objectives, an issue examined in the next chapter.) More useful to the needs of this chapter are three questions specific to Liberating Voices. First, does it meet the criteria of a good pattern language? For example, is it complete? Does it adequately reflect its domain? Is it timeless (a claim that Alexander made for his architectural patterns)? Second, does it meet the objectives we have set for it? Does it provide a solid framework for effective progressive activities in the realm of information and communication? Third, is this framework (intellectually and materially) capable of adapting over time to maintain its usefulness?" (P522)

It appears to me that the pattern cards embody a few roles, as a tool to educate as to problems an individual might not be aware of, for groups to brainstorm for new ideas to existing problems. The first can be measured but the second is a long term result that requires user feedback. It would be hard to measure the sparks of creativity that came to members of the class during our workshop, that may not be used or enacted upon for many years to come. For example solutions from a card may stick in our memory and then be extracted when later in life we interact with that issue in work, or our community.

I also think that the third criteria is an important one, can it be timeless? So many of them are, such as "sustainable design" but at least one, in my opinion, is already outdated. "Universal Voicemail (113)" I think this is a great idea, having worked with the homeless population it is a fundamental issue that they all face, however, there are hardly any public phones left and the remaining ones are not maintained. Is this pattern obsolete?